Ah, the camel. The friendly ungulate that provides transport, milk, meat and possibly the foulest breath you have ever smelt. Saddle their fatty humps with some medical supplies and you’ve got a mobile, milk-producing ambulance brigade that can reach speeds of 40mph, survive days without water and keep you company with its toothy, guttural melody.…

Leaping past the flowering green, he dove. The mist rose around. Even though the grass was deep, the craft’s anti-shields blew the blades back in an boling wake of steam. Trailing fast the speeders came, and then the chance to jump. The ship would hold the mystery and surely reveal the source of these links.…

If you enjoy the plasticy smell of fresh cut PVC in the morning and iconic chair design, you’ll love the new butt hugging iteration from Kenneth Smythe. You’ve seen the asymmetric permutations of his designs before – open-source designs based on musical variation. But where those use materials that are more difficult to work with,…

Wow, when I said Web 3D was heating up, I wasn’t kidding. You know GrabCAD is always cooking up new features, but this is a delightful surprise. Today, they launch their own web-based 3D Viewer available right inside the GrabCAD interface to view 3D files and collaborate with others. Here’s the sneak peak.

Right as we were posting the news about TeamPlatform’s 3DFile.io site, the Sunglass.io team was stepping onto the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt. The company founded by Nitin Rao and Kaustuv DeBiswas recently landed 1.7 million funding and is bringing new features to the online collaboration platform, including 45 3D file formats, VoIP support and cloud…

There should be five things that you do today. They should all involve string, live bait and an assortment of wild animals. Oh, and this, KICK IT.

So, after seeing the coolest touch-free 3D interaction, there’s something else that’s nearly just as cool and adds to that cool factor with the addition of a single-handed glove and holding up an iPad in front of your face as if looking for hidden treasure. The Tangible Media Group at MIT Media Lab is exploriung…

TeamPlatform is boosting the cool factor of CAD on the cloud. This week the web-based 3D project collaboration platform launches 3dFile.io. View the largest number of 3D file formats right in your browser. Just drag and drop your 3D model, grab the link and share it. Best thing, it’s absolutely free.

Long ago, in the days of darkness, a mystery shrouded the land. The ships rising off the surface gently with but a vibration and then a crack through the air as they shot toward the atmosphere. There, left in their wake, the blue cords hovered and glowed. And to this day, none have known their…

How are bikes made? In 1945? A film from the British Council helps us relive the experience of factory workers 70 years ago with a look at the machines, methods and process of bicycle making from start to finish. It’s a feast of machinery and manufacturing process at a time WWII was just ending, that…

Thought control over our daily 3D modeling routine isn’t here yet, but we still have the old analog system of manipulating our models with the seductive sway of our hands, face or other objects. Actually, we’re not there yet either, but this week, the possibility of that and your mouse, keyboard and 3D mouse becoming…

You’ve probably seen the tiny, vibrating Hexbugs that flitter about. Well, they’ve got nothing on this completely spectacular, totally customizable upscale DIY version. We were out at the Bay Area Maker Faire over the weekend and one project we were sad to miss was DiYhumbugs project for kids. The vibrating brush bot that uses a…

I have a thing for fountains. Not the fancy, ornate sculptures you toss coins into or position amongst an unreasonable amount of concrete lawn ornaments. My fountains are the installations that are engineering feats in themselves. If I had a choice I would have fountains surrounding my house… my house would be a fountain, and…

When the bluebonnets are dancing in the field and you feel a large antler near your spine, it’s best you not turn around. Simply put your headphones, tighten your belt on and scream, KICK IT.

So, you’ve started a Kickstarter project. You’re one of 12 contenders for a $25,000 dollar prize. It all relies on one thing… The vote OF THE MASSES. I know, maybe you’re not one of the 12, but someone, somewhere in the depths of crowd-funded project dependence is, and feels pain just like you, the pain…

The crystal sea glowed putting out a vibration that could be felt across the silver stream of light. He didn’t notice the challenge that lay before till he stood, shivering at the icy bank. Caps and swells motionless, frozen by these links. Rolando Cyril – Some of the best surreal scapes and scenes I’ve viewed…

Raise of hands. How many have a chair made of recycled New York City water tower sitting in their living area? No? How about outdoor armchairs made of Indonesian scrapwood? (the best kind of scrapwood, I might add.) No again? Well, you may very soon want one of both. There’s an earthly aura about fine…

Eight-eyed babies. I’ve always said there are not enough of them tormenting normal babies and adult sensibilities. Fortunately, you can have the 3D model of an eight-eyed baby (or any other model) spinning across your website in glorious 3D via a new Wordpress plugin from p3d.

Rack workstations. A fabulous remote-client solution that solves the problem of your co-workers ‘accidentally’ kicking the power button on your rig after 6.5 hours of unsaved work. That and avoiding the back-strain of moving workstations around make them ideal. But, before we get to all the glorious things that rack workstations are, it should be…

Go ahead, say it. No, scream it. SUBD to NURBS! Better if it’s done two inches from the secretary’s face immediately after you’ve chugged a bottle of milk. SubD to NURBS indeed. You may wonder what these strange words are. Or, you may know all about the surface mesh to solid modeling possibilities recently launched…

I’m sure you’ve all been at the point where you’re trying to decide what detail to model and what detail to leave out. Should I model the five layers of paneling, plate and paint flakes? Do I really need to show how the stitching on this knitted sweater vest tucks around my armpits? YES, and…

I know it’s the weekend. Time to work on the tan, take the horse for a ride, wax your bike and maybe even make that crumpet basket you’ve been reading about. But before you do all of that, sit back, relax and enjoy 3 minutes and 42 seconds of bliss. KICK IT.

A kinect controlled robot? That’s MASSIVE? YES PLEASE. Vaudeville is a 12 foot, 5 inch robot built by Suidobashi Heavy Industry. The human-piloted mecha style machine rings in at a hefty 5 tons and can be controlled from the cockpit or remotely via smartphone and Kinect. Yes, you may get excited.

Tumbling amongst the bramble the tiny bot looked up. The sky, large and serene, the occasional flicker of the fissures in the electronic atmosphere. Should he venture in, he could fix it or possibly have his life orb extracted by the power of these links. Greg Craola Simkins – His graphite work, painting and graffiti…

There’s a place we’ve been warned about called, THE FUTURE. I’m not so sure it exists. But if it does, there are present trends that are certainly shaping it and how we experience everything from structures to shopping. Stuart Fingerhut has a firm grasp on what’s setting the pace. You’ve heard him on EngineerVsDesigner. Now,…

Recently we looked at how you can find ROI for your graphics card. It’s an important factor to consider when thinking about a hardware upgrade. Fortunately, there’s a tool that can make the process quick and easy.

It has been sad and somewhat awkward times with the camera-enabled iPad. Left to nothing but holding up the massive tablet to capture the memories of your great-aunt’s 90th birthday or facetiming with your friends from the hospital bed after that near-fatal fence-jumping accident. Now, you can capture that and so much more, then turn…

Why, it looks like you’re enjoying your weekend. Spring hat, drink in your hand, veggie or steak kabob of your choice grilling on the hood of your neighbor’s car. If only life could be just a touch more exciting. May I introduce the SolidSmack Update? I may. KICK IT.

Hubless motorcycles, people. Some designs are awesome. Others are so badass, they make your skin tighten around your face and leather chaps instantly appear on your leg meats. The Indian Gorilla V4 is no exception and is one of the coolest examples of two-wheeled engineering design and vehicular magnificence you’ll find. It also happens to…

Google Drive is out and with it another option to store, sync and squeeze your data. But how does Google Drive stack up against Box and Dropbox? I use all three and can certainly say there are advantages and disadvantages to each. Once compared though, it’s very clear where all three sit in the entire…

Beneath the timber, hidden within the shadows and fallen leaves, she waited. It often passed through these woods, scavenging, covered in the pasty soot of its sharp, glandular encased shovelers. Part machine, part beast, strengthened over the ages with these links. Thierry Doizon – Your eyes juices will jiggle at delight at the site of…

I know you have long dreamt of taking your blueprints with you wherever you go. Well, it’s possible, or could be. The Softsheet concept by Gautham Varma is a foldable, touch-sensitive screen you can toss on your dash when you’re off to the shop or construction site. You can use it to view site plans…

What do you do in the morning when you have a hankering for a fried doughy foods and a massive glass of SolidWorks API knowledge? Stop by your nearest doughnut shop? Unfortunately, they know nothing of SolidWorks API and you may not get your doughnuts if you mention anything of it. So, after you’ve grabbed…

What could you do with stacks of 5mm plywood and exhaustive knowledge of Latin, iambic pentameter, gear ratios, Turing machines and the mechanized inner workings of computer systems? Anything you want, but mostly you would build amazing kinetic sculptures capable of computing and endless variety of data, be it fractals or the eternal bond of…

Do you remember that idea about viewing SolidWorks files on an iPhone or iPad? You dreamt of it years ago. Then experienced the disappointment. Then, last week, SolidWorks taunted you about a new mobile app. This week, today, they’re releasing it. eDrawings for iPad. It’s priced at US $1.99 and available now on iTunes. Here’s…

Wrap yourself in this. RAD Toronto team and Studio NMinusOne have created IM BLANKY as part of a digital embroidery exhibit for WORKShop Toronto. IM BLANKY is an ornate pattern of circuits and sensors relaying the shape of whatever lays underneath it or whatever you wrap it around. Laser scanning never looked this good.

You’ve been whittling that stick all day, yet you’ve hardly sharpened it into the spear you plan to use, when you wake in the morning to hunt the ever so elusive speckled-throated ox. Fortunately, you have a trick up your sleeve. The SolidSmack update. KICK IT.

The stairway climbed east, or so I thought. The light shown differently in these parts. Clattering through the crack beneath the eave, the rays revealed their location, mixed with the sound of their engines. Hunting. Not for me, but for these links. Mikael Lugnegard – There is nothing about his art that is not completely…

Why poke your fingers repeatedly into a keyboard crawling with dust, germs and skin flakes beneath the keys when you could jab them into any flat (antibiotic-infused) surface you wish? The Magic Cube from Celluon is just the magical device you’ve been dreaming of. Of course, you can’t wear it like other devices and it’s…

If drool is a requirement for your sound-pounding listening experience, you know a preamp is a crucial part of any system, be it for car, personal or production audio. Antelope Audio is known for the amazing quality they bring to studios around the world and now, they’re putting their clocking technology into a new DAC…

There were rumors floating around about the acquisition of Google SketchUp. It was thought the buyer may be Dassault Systemes. SpaceClaim was even in there at one point. Turns out that the acquisition rumor was true, but speculation on the buyer? Waaaaaay off. Today, Trimble, producers of advanced location-based hardware and software, announced they have…

I appreciate the idea of traveling lightly, unless it means you can’t pull up to a panoramic view, open your trunk and take a shower against the scenic landscape. Fortunately, there’s a box for that – a swissRoomBox to be exact. It houses just about all you would need to enjoy the comforts of home…

If you guessed it was coming, you were right. GrabCAD has launched a new iPad app that puts the glory of GrabCAD right on your lap. Now, tearing yourself away from that 3D model addiction, stopping excessive model downloading and creating temporary tattoos of your favorite CAD model images is even more difficult than ever.

I know the feeling. Starting a week can be like a ceramic mug full of delicious, hot coffee… to the face… repeatedly. That’s why this week, we’re giving you the smack on a Monday (or a Tuesday if your on that other side, in the future, laughing at us in the past.) KICK IT.

Nevermind the rug in that photo above. It’s a technique used to cover up the blood spray after you’ve blasted an offending intruder across the floor with your two Mossberg 930’s. How did you get to them so fast? Simple. They’re stored in your bedframe – the BedBunker – locked away, hidden from those interested…

So you’re floating down a quiet jungle stream, the overgrowth blotting any light from the viney corridor, spider-eating snakes rustling overhead. Fortunately, you used your backpack to store indestructible lanterns instead of extra food rations. You hunger and the glorious light are all thanks to the make-tastic ingenuity of Steve Hoefer. Steve created these lanterns…

Through the vapid water, strewn with oars and shards of boat, the injured creature stepped. The silver bridle that held the face of his opponent in his grip torn from the beast with the power of these links. Martin Deschambault – There is nothing that is not brilliant about the vast and beautiful scenes spilling…

You’ve likely been gnawing the multi-touch off your Magic Mouse in anticipation of it, but no longer. Autodesk Inventor Fusion is now available for the Mac. You can download it from Autodesk Labs immediately and you don’t even need Autodesk Inventor installed to run it. If you’ve used Autodesk Inventor Fusion on Windows, you’ll notice…

Away on a long journey, far from home, far from the one you love. It’s lonely and a feeling that a good ol’ thumb-tastic make-out session could cure in two vibrations of a thumb kiss. If you’re reading this out loud to your co-workers, pause and let the thought of what you just said sink…

If you’re an iPad user soaking in the retina display rays of the latest tablet tech, you’re flipping open a cover that’s flimsy, only allows viewing at 10 degrees off a flat surface and doesn’t even stick to the magnets you’ve embedded in your abs. That’s about to change in a flippin’ big way. The…